The Defining Feature
by Etimire T
Summary: "You do realize you're a murdering psychopath who betrayed his family and tries to invade earth? Being like you is not exactly a compliment." Loki went very still at my words."You're lying," he murmured. "I would never- what could possibly make me-?" I turned away. "That's the story, Loki."


To say I was shocked was like saying a pop tart is rather tasty. Or riding on a dragon would be fun. Or that your tongue may be slightly singed upon leaving a hot pocket in the microwave for .0000023 seconds too long.

No, I wasn't just shocked, I was knocked flat, blown over, mouth open and probably drooling or something because there was no possible way in all of the universe that he could be standing at my doorstep.

I'd been busy finishing a bit of psychology homework in my bedroom, avoiding my screaming baby brother and my mom, who thought it was a good idea to clean the entire house for reasons far above my head. But overall, to say I was content was a pretty good description. I was finally with the girl of my dreams (Her name is Ashlen, by the way.) and tonight I was going to have pizza my dad, who I'd been searching for weeks after it became apparent that my mother wasn't going to give me any info and immaculate conception was a bit of a long shot. Anyway, I found him and he wasn't the coolest dude in existence, but he was pretty okay and got me out of some difficult situations. He could talk someone into a puddle if he wished. The man had a tongue like acid. Which was fine when it was in a direction other than me. Hopefully we wouldn't kill each other within the first hour alone.

But, I mean, really, everything was good. My problems were at ease for the moment.

But now I was at the door, unable to speak. Breathless and slightly singed, the Asgardian outside gulped down oxygen and held up a hand when I tried to speak. Dressed in a tan tunic and green leggings with leather boots, dark hair spilling down his neck, he would have fit in well with a medieval fair. He hadn't even looked at me yet. "I need to locate Tomas. Have you seen-?"

He finally saw me and his entire form went rigid with surprise, shock equal to my own, maybe.

Do I need to point out that my name is Tomas? Yes, without an "H" get it right. I stared at him and finally gave a nervous giggle thing that probably sounded so freaking unmanly I don't even want to think about it. "This is a joke, right?"

He cocked his head. "You know who I am."

"Of course I know you. I've seen all the movies and..."

What friend of mine planed this? But, oh wait, I didn't have any friends. And how the heck did Tom Hiddleson know my name? And why was he dressed like… well, like his character? Were they filming in the area? Why was he at my door again?

Hiddleson blinked at me, seeming to weigh something in his mind. He came to a decision and stepped closer. I stepped back automatically, still so stunned I didn't even think that I should probably ask for an autograph or something like a normal fan.

The weird thing was that the man was giving me the same expression I figured was on my face. A mix of shock and wonder and excitement. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to meet you," he said in a murmur, his gaze zipping up and down me.

Right. Okay. This was a dream. This was most definitely a dream.

"Excuse me?"

Loki of Asgard finally seemed to get a hold of himself. "I know you don't understand this, but I need to tell you. I'm from a universe where you are… acharacterinmyfavoritebook." He said the last part so quickly I hardly caught it. Probably because he knew it sounded bonkers.

I think I might have wheezed. Or coughed. Or sneezed. Or something in between. "What?"

He shifted his weight nervously. "Look, I've been working on a bit of a spell in my free time because it always bothered me how you… well, how the story ended. The twist was…" Loki wrinkled his nose. "And, anyway, I'm here to change it."

My eyes ought to have rolled out of my head, I had them open so wide. "Uh, right."

Did he just say spells? Was this some kind of TV trick thing? I glanced around for cameras and saw none. Meanwhile, Loki (Tom, or whatever his name was) was giving me a decidedly irritated look. "I haven't got long before it wears off and I disappear. You're smart for a Midgardian. I remember. I need you to act fast."

Snorting, I placed the door between us and peeked beyond it. "You're crazy."

Hissing between his teeth, he pinched the bridge of his nose like he had a headache. "I ought to have anticipated this. You don't believe in magic."

Another squeal like noise escaped me and if calling for my mom wouldn't have made me look like a toddler, I would have shouted for her. As it was, I continued staring at him, debated what exactly to do. Slam the door in his crazy face? Yeah. That was a good idea.

I moved to shut the door, but suddenly Loki raised his hand and the door stuck, lit up by a golden light. Letting go of the door like it was on fire, my gaze jumped back between the Asgardian and the door which was being held by magic or some freaking thing.

The medieval mad man was looking far more smug than I liked. "Your name is Tomas Haddic. You are in love with that lass Ashen, have a little brother you secretly despise, a mother you resent, and a father you're not sure about. Tonight you're going to meet with him in his apartment, I believe it is called, but you haven't told your mother because you're afraid she'll stop you, or worse, be an escort." He was getting more and more worked up as he spoke. "When you get to your father's, you're going to find something extremely unpleasant." He grabbed the door and forced it open. "I'm sorry, but you have to understand, this is for your best interest. It is the deviant point."

My heart strumming in my throat and my mouth dry, I scrambled backwards. "How do you- how do you know all of that?"

Loki growled in frustration. "I just bloody told you! Do try and pay attention. I know you just act thoughtless so that that imbecile from your education center will not target you, but at this moment, that tactic is ineffective."

"You mean Tyler? I'm not afraid of him."

"Yes, you are."

Forget this. I scrambled back into the house, shouting. "Mom! Mom, there's a crazy stalker dude trying to-!"

But a sudden hand closed over my mouth and another wrapped around my waist, pinning my arms down. He was impossibly strong and although he did not hurt me, it was impossible to twist free. "You idiot child, if I… This is for your benefit."

I didn't have time to wonder how he'd caught up to me or anything because suddenly gold swirled around me, and we were in a small alleyway, trash cans piled in a corner. The bright sunlight glared from the sidewalk outside. Terrified, I slammed my elbow into his gut and managed to twist out of the man's grip. "You're crazy! You- you… how the heck did we get out here?!"

"Magic?" he offered with a shrug. His bright eyes gleamed with an excitement I did not understand at all. "Tomas, believe me-"

"I'm not believing a single freaking thing you say!"

He gave me a long suffering glare. "The things I do for you people."

I scrambled to the light, glad when he didn't try to stop me. Instead, he called out. "Your book is called The Peculiar Memoir of Tomas Haddic." I didn't stop. "My father nearly threw it out of the palace library when Thor and I were children. But I stopped him because I liked the green cover and the simplicity and I didn't know anything about Midgard and I kept reading it over and over again because you reminded me of… well, myself."

At that, I stopped and turned, just barely in the shadow. "You do realize you're a murdering psychopath who betrayed his family and tries to invade earth? That's not exactly a compliment."

Loki fell very still at this, paler than before. The shadows made him look almost sickly. In retrospect, that probably wasn't the best thing to say. "You're lying," he murmured. "I would never- what could possibly make me-?"

"That's the story, Loki," I spat at him mockingly. The man was insane or playing a really bad joke. He deserved a bit of my spite. "You're the bad guy."

With that, I swerved into the street and left the stunned madman behind. It only took me a few moments to realize I was only a street or two away from my dad's apartment. A sigh of relief fell from my lips. My sneakers thudded on the concrete, and I shoved several people aside as I ran. "Sorry!" I caught a glimpse of my terrified expression in a shop window. My black hair was a wavy mess and my blue eyes wide with fear. I swung around a street sign pole as I skidded around a corner. There was the apartment. Just up there and across the street. Cars wizzed back and forth across the road, narrowly missing me as I jaywalked/ran across.

It was in a run down part of town and some lady smoking on the balcony was dressed like she was fifteen even though she looked forty. Her eyes followed me disinterestedly as I dashed up the stairs and toward my father's number. Fourty-two, fourty-three, fourty-four. There.

It was already open and I burst inside. "Darren!" I shouted for my dad. "Darren? Tom Hiddleson is chasing me. He's a psychopath! Dad!"

The apartment wasn't really that large. He had to be around here somewhere. I flew through the one-butt kitchen and into his bedroom. That was the last place.

What I saw made me stop short in my tracks.

My dad was scrambling out of bed and some woman was in the process of escaping out of the window. Their hair was escue and it did not take crazy deduction skills to figure out what they'd been up to.

In retrospect, I suppose it shouldn't have bothered me. He wasn't married to my mom, after all.

But it did bother me. A lot. What kinda cow was this jerk? And who was she? Why was he this kind of guy? Why was he this sass talking, carnal jerk and why had I even bothered to...

It bothered me enough that all I could do was stand there and gape at him, hoping my disgust filtered into my gaze. Darren lifted a hand to me as if I was a wild animal he needed to calm, irritation flashing in his eyes. "Tomas, I can explain-"

"No," I said in a whisper. And then louder. "That won't be necessary."

With that, I stumbled backward, feeling half blinded, out of his dirty apartment, and onto the balcony outside. I fumbled down the stairs, not really caring where I went, and ran toward the road.

I darted into the street when suddenly a truck veered around the corner. I had a moment to open my mouth in shock and terror, knowing without a doubt it would hit me, when a sudden flash of gold filled my vision and something wrapped it's arms around my waist.

And then I was on the opposite sidewalk, feeling the air from the truck rush past me. Gasping, I collapsed on the ground and lay there on my elbows and hoped I didn't throw up my heart if it beat any harder.

"I… I almost died," I exhaled.

"No," I voice said quietly, evenly devoid of emotion. "You almost ended up in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of your life."

Shocked, I rolled upward and swiveled to look at the speaker. It was the psycho.

Who was looking steadily less crazy.

I stared at him. "You saved me."

"Do you always state the obvious?"

"I do when I'm nearly run over by a semi," I spat.

For some reason, Loki looked delighted. "There you are. I've been waiting for that sarcastic devil to show up."

Suddenly beyond exhausted, I moved to the wall and sat against it. Resting my head back on the bricks, I squinted up at the prince. "You knew," I said. It wasn't a question. "You knew what I'd find when I went in Darren's apartment."

Loki shifted his weight. "Yes."

"Because where you're from, I'm in your favorite book."

"Yes. Do you believe me?"

I considered this. "It's easier to think about this than…" I gestured in vague disgust toward the apartments. "That."

Nodding, Loki seemed to think for a moment, and then, abruptly, he sat next to me. "You are not defined by him, Tomas," he said in a low voice. "His blood in your veins… it has no bearing on who you could be."

I blinked at him. "You don't know how ironic that is, coming from you."

He frowned, confused. "I don't-"

"Look," I interrupted tiredly. I appraised him briefly before sighing. "If you really are Loki from the stories I know, then… you're going to figure out something. Soon, probably. And… it's going to change everything. And I mean everything."

Loki nodded slowly. "Alright."

"And when you do, you're going to have to remember just what you told me. Blood doesn't define you. You can be whoever you want, Loki. It doesn't matter if Odin approves or not. Or if anyone approves. There's nothing you can do to change them. So give up and be who you want to be, not who you think they want you to be."

Loki's eyes were narrowed. He folded his legs to his chest and rested his arms on his knees. "How about we make a deal?"

"I'm a bit wary to make a deal with the god of mischief."

Loki smirked. "No mischief. I swear. You promise to remember my words, and… I will promise to remember yours. Hopefully we can change our stories for the better, yes?"

I pursed my lips, considering, then with a sad smile, I caught his eye and stuck out my hand. "Deal. I promise."

"Likewise, I promise to remember your words, Tomas." We shook hands, and he winked at me.

And suddenly Loki was gone.

I blinked at the spot he had been, startled. Had I imagined him?

Then I heard something clatter to the pavement and I turned to see what it was. There on the floor was a small green coin. I turned it over in my hands. "Remember," it said on the side. I smiled.

With a shaky breath, I stood and tucked my coin into my pocket. Forcing myself to look at the apartment, I gulped. My father's blood did not define me.

With that, I turned and made my way home, a sad sort of smile in my step.

I would remember, but would Loki?

AN: Hello:)

please leave a review. My authors notes are being strange and wont let me delete the last part of it. any way this is in response to a tumblr prompt that i loved and i hope you enjoyed the result.

his is in responce toN:


End file.
